I wouldn’t normally post something like this, but it is Friday and this is pretty good. I am having bad flashbacks from my freelance days, sort of in the same vein as this. Enjoy the weekend, but if you have clients like these, I am sure you’ll be stressing all the way through it anyways.

dave-
not sure, but it always seems to have something to do with go betweens trying to appear useful. when you’re not working directly for the person making the real decisions, the middle man is always trying to assert some sort of power or control over the project. then they report back to the boss with the altered product and the boss changes it. repeat ad infinitum. any time I talk to young designers about working with clients, I always recommend setting limits to the number of rounds of revision right from the start. that way it’s very clear how many times this cycle can repeat. sometimes clients just don’t know when it’s done, and it’s up to you as the designer to assert your role and let them know when it’s in their best interest to wrap it up. Sometimes I think they forget what they’re paying you for.

Andy-
yeah, that’s classic, the “new” client emerges from the ether with a whole new set of objectives which, without fail, contradict the imperatives set at the beginning of the project.

This is just incredible… I started having a flashback to my old agency, and then I realized — I think this was recorded there! All the cubicles, chairs, tables, conference phones, etc. were all the same.

Damo says:

hahahhaha classic conundrums! funny to look back at this for insight into how to formulate defined relationships with clients…yet not so funny when it starts to happen while on job…setting defined boundaries and limitations is indeed a good practice and certainly can educate the client to understanding the cost and time factors…although with large corporate bodies I tend to feel that some people really think it isn’t pertinent to them in regard to the cost – they’re just acting as the messenger and therefore no real responsibility – just another stat drone thus all the politics of go betweens etc…I tend to visual a perspective if this client practice was acted out to other areas of specialty…eg accountant, or human resources or something of the left brain creatures…god help us all…being a creative – problem solver, the expectations are huge at times!

david-
I quit freelancing a couple years back to focus on music and my personal design work. I still do one or two projects a year if something interesting comes along (like the obama poster, although that wasn’t a paid gig so not sure that qualifies as freelance).

it’s nice to be able to focus, but I sometimes miss it, having deadlines and deliverables keeps you sharp as a designer and pushes you to evolve.

Judging from the comments, it seems most of the people here can relate to the video. It definitely describes my day to day experience.

I’m still fairly new to working as a professional graphic designer. I’d really like to hear from some of the more experienced designers about how they avoid this sort of situation. Do you just learn to live with it, or are there concrete steps you can take to build a healthier client relationship?

Scott Says: it’s nice to be able to focus, but I sometimes miss it, having deadlines and deliverables keeps you sharp as a designer and pushes you to evolve.
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I could imagine doing your own thing would make it a challenge to focus and be productive. I guess the driving factor that was client deadlines is replaced by personal goals?

At what point did you decide to change Scott? Or, what gave you the confidence to do so (if it was needed)?

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Michael says:

This has been floating around my work and everything thinks its soo funny. The sad thing is that its true and if my account team would manage the client things like this wouldn’t happen. AWH welcome to my daily nightmare.